The Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce is hosting a series of seven civic-slate “open houses.”

The first two were held Sept. 9 (Imagine Surrey) and Sept. 11 (Safe Surrey Coalition).

Scott Wheatley, the executive director of the Cloverdale Chamber, said the first two events went very well. He told the Cloverdale Reporter the open houses are “nonpartisan engagement opportunities” for voters. He said the platform was chosen to give voters in Cloverdale, Clayton, and Campbell Heights an informal chance to hear from civic slates on issues relevant to East Surrey.

“People seemed to enjoy the format,” Wheatley said. “Everyone was very respectful and everyone seemed to be able to ask the questions they wanted to.”

He noted the informal setting was used to encourage just such interaction. He wanted a way for voters to connect with the politicians on a deeper level than in the traditional all-candidate meeting setting.

“People like the format because it was an easy to interact. It was just a conversation.”

He said several dozen attended the first session at the Chamber office. Based on registrations, he expects that trend to continue through the remaining five meetings.

Wheatley explained that there’s no real agenda for each night, just a mix-and-mingle atmosphere.

He said the open-house sessions include one-minute introductions from each candidate, a short discussion featuring Chamber-selected questions, and informal conversation and networking afterward.

SOURCE: SURREY NOW LEADER